The Mechanical EP, released by Oliver back in January, featured four tracks that spanned genres yet felt cohesive because of their musical production style. While they have been on tour with Zedd and Alex Metric, remixes of the tracks were compiled for the new Mechanical Remixes EP, which is every bit as diverse and interesting as the original. Take the title track, where the original is a full-on ’80s downbeat synth-pop movie score with a touch of dubstep influences, like a modern day Harold Faltemeyer, and the remix by Values strips it down for a lo-fi and happier hands-in-the-air vibe with more of a Bow Wow Wow feel. The Dillon Francis mix of “Night Is On My Mind” flips the mood, turning the downtempo, dark-vibed moombah-ish track into a happier modern electro track which would be perfect for a revival of the ’80s movie Breakin’. Nom de Strip take the bouncy and poppy electro jam “Control” and toughen it up with a harder, more agressive electro feel, but keep the pretty keyboard breakdown intact, making it a nice contrast. The least successful of the batch seems to be Tchami’s take of “Move Your Body (MYB).” What starts as full-on ADD electro jam with new sounds coming every 20 seconds or so (stutter beats, ’90s Daft Punk vocoder, insane filters, handclaps), is simplified to a hybrid of hard electro and UK garage with a a dark dropout which seems like it was inspired by that Mike Mago track “The Show.” If you’ve not heard the original Mechanical EP, it’s definitely worth a listen. The Remixes EP takes all the tracks in a new direction but not so far removed that you can’t feel the original vibes.
Image Courtesy of Fools Gold.
